How Joe Kernan’s nephew won the Melbourne Cup with former royal racehorse

Joe Kernan’s name flashes up on the phone. He’s ringing from Melbourne. His son Paul lives there and got married the weekend before last, but that’s not what the call is for. “We were at the Melbourne Cup,” he says. “My nephew had the winner.”

Good for him, you think. Joe is 72 these days. A trip down under to see his long emigrated boy married off, a day out at the Race That Stops A Nation, a nice bet on the winner for his nephew – what’s not to like? Point Of Law was well enough fancied though. Went off the 6/1 favourite. Hardly worth a pan-planetary phone call, even via WhatsApp.